Three Frazer School students earn 1st Place at Alachua County Regional Science and Engineering Fair

Press release from The Frazer School

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Three students from The Frazer School earned First Place in their categories at the Alachua County Regional Science and Engineering Fair, advancing their research and representing their school with distinction.

The regional competition brought together top middle and high school researchers from across the region, with students presenting original scientific investigations to panels of professional scientists, engineers, and industry experts.

To prepare for competition, the students spent several months designing experiments, collecting and analyzing data, and refining their presentations. Their work stood out for its depth of analysis, real-world application, and their ability to explain their findings to their judges.

The following students earned first-place awards:

Yifan Song, Frazer School – 1st Place Intelligent Machines, Robotics and Systems Software and the UF Society for Women Engineers Award

Project Title: Low-Cost Acoustic and Movement-Based Detection of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Project Summary: Yifan’s project developed an affordable, machine learning-based system using consumer-grade Arduino sensors to screen for REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD), which is a strong early indicator of Parkinson’s disease.

Maggie Gao, Frazer School – 1st Place Environmental Engineering and the Stockholm Junior Water Prize

Project Title: Chitosan-LDH Hydrogel for Recycling Phosphorus from Wastewater

Project Summary: Maggie created Chitosan-LDH hydrogel beads for both recovering and recycling phosphorus from wastewater, helping combat water quality issues such as eutrophication and algal blooms.

David Rong, Frazer School – 1st Place Mathematics and Computational Science and the Ricoh Sustainable Development Award

Project Title: Can Kudzu Take Over? A Climate-Powered Growth Prediction

“This achievement reflects not only their scientific ability, but also their persistence, critical thinking, and dedication to the research process,” said Kim Baxter, science teacher at The Frazer School. “They demonstrated exceptional independence and professionalism throughout this project.”

By earning first place, the team will advance to the state competition that will be held in Lakeland on March 31-April 2.

The Frazer School continues to encourage student participation in STEM research opportunities, fostering curiosity, problem-solving, and a passion for scientific discovery.